Several local businesses are celebrating as the shortlisted finalists of the Skipton Business Awards 2018 have been announced. The working party of organisers is delighted to have attracted so many entries in this second year of the awards which aims to showcase businesses in Skipton and the BD23 postcode area. After much deliberation, the judges selected a shortlist of finalists for each of the entered categories.

Matt Cornish, Head Judge on the panel said: “It was good to see so many new entrants this year. The quality of entries, and particularly the strength of the supplementary information from those shortlisted, really highlighted how these brilliant businesses contribute to the community.”

SBA 2018 Judges deliberating over entries

Wendy Lawson, Awards Coordinator added: “We are looking forward to showcasing the awards’ shortlisted finalists and winners. I know it was a difficult task for the judges to make selections from such an eclectic mix of businesses, which is why we have a panel with different views to offer. We’d like to thank every business which took time to submit an entry; you make the awards what it is.”

The finalists were assessed by the judging panel consisting of independent business experts, Alison Davies, Head of Digital, Skipton Building Society, Helen Clarke, Area Business Manager for Leeds and Area, Barclays Bank plc, Wendy Bateson, Estate Administrator, Broughton Hall Estate, Geraldine Thompson, BID Manager & Director, Skipton BID and Matt Cornish, Account Manager, AKA PR. Winners of each category, including overall Skipton Business of the Year, will be revealed at a prestigious ceremony to take place at The Rendezvous Hotel on Thursday 22nd March from 6.30pm.

The awards are supported by headline sponsor Skipton Building Society, twelve category sponsors, winners’ champagne sponsor Pentelow Practice and table centre sponsor AWB Charlesworth Solicitors. Skipton BID will also be announcing the winner of The Best Bar None Award.

Tickets for the award ceremony evening, being held at The Rendezvous Hotel, are almost sold out; they are available to reserve by emailing Coordinator, Wendy Lawson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The full shortlist of the Skipton Business Awards 2018:
Best Accommodation Award
Sponsored by The Rendezvous HotelFinalists:
The Black Horse Hotel, Grassington
Dalesgate Lodge B&B
Grassington House

Entries are now open for Skipton Business Awards 2017, a new initiative announced on 6th October and the first of its kind in the town for more than a decade.

The awards are spearheaded by the Skipton Chamber of Trade, which celebrates its 120th year backing businesses in the town. Not limited to Chamber members, entry is open to any business with a BD23 postcode.

A working party of volunteers from the Chamber membership has been working to put the awards programme in place. With financial backing from Skipton BID and thirteen sponsors already in place, the team welcome more sponsors to come forward to support the awards as Headline or Associate event sponsors.

The awards offer 12 varied categories which offer plenty of options for business owners to enter. There is no charge for entry and the application process has been made simple to encourage time-pressured business owners to take part.

Monday 16th January, noon is the entry deadline to allow time for a panel of independent judges to consider the entries in depth before the award ceremony dinner on Thursday 23rd March at The Rendezvous Hotel, which will celebrate the success of the winners and showcase the nominees and runners-up.

Co-ordinator of the awards, Wendy Lawson said “The Chamber is a long established and much loved organisation which champions the businesses of Skipton. These awards will celebrate and reward the dedication of companies that help to foster a vibrant town to visit, live and work.”

The twelve award categories are: Best Food and Drink, Best Accommodation Provider, Best Customer Service, Best Retailer, Best Health & Beauty Business, Best Manufacturer/Engineering Business, Best Apprentice/Trainee, Best Professional/Financial Service Provider, Best Market Stall, Best Leisure and Tourism Business, the Special Chamber Award (nominated by members of the public) and Business of the Year; awarded to the most inspirational business from all the category winners.

Entry forms for the awards can be completed online at www.skiptonbusinessawards.co.uk and business owners interested in sponsorship should contact Wendy Lawson on 01756 798257 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Great news - our application for seed funding has been approved by Skipton BID.

In line with their own aims and objectives, the BID board approved the Chamber's application for Foundation funding, so that the Awards could launch.

The working party have been liaising with other 'award groups' and want to thank them for their assistance and advice leading up to this point. It's all systems go now, leading up to the launch event on Thursday 6th October and eventual Presentation evening on Thursday 23rd March 2017. Many thanks Skipton BID and sponsors!

Members of the Skipton Business Awards working group have been liaising with similar Awards organisations to bring together an application for seed funding for the Skipton Business Awards 2017 project. Huge thanks goes to representatives of Keighley and Ilkley Awards groups for assisting us with budget advice and logistics. As a voluntary and very part-time group the assistance provided has been invaluable. We are most excited to get this project off the ground and will bring you news, as soon as we have it, regarding the application outcome.

Just a few weeks since the launch of Skipton Business Awards 2017, entries are already flying in, reports Co-ordinator Wendy Lawson. The first entry was received within a week of the awards website going live and sets the bar for the Food and Drink category.

Spearheaded by the Skipton Chamber of Trade and Commerce, which is celebrating 120 years of backing businesses in the town, the awards are backed by Skipton BID and Associate sponsors including The Pentelow Practice and The Mill Shop along with individual category sponsors.

Not limited to Chamber members, entry is open to any business with a Skipton BD23 postcode up to the deadline of 16 January 2017. An award ceremony dinner on Thursday March 23rd at The Rendezvous Hotel will celebrate the success of the winners and showcase the nominees and runners-up.

Wendy Lawson explains “We’re delighted that a number of early entries has shown the demand for the business awards in Skipton, as owners and managers see the opportunity for PR exposure in the form of sponsorship, nomination and shortlisting, as well the potential kudos of winning one of the twelve categories.”

Over the next few weeks Skipton Business Awards are expanding on the award categories and encouraging readers to reach out to their favourite businesses, employers and contacts in Skipton to let them know about the awards.

This week they look at the three categories that are among the first to receive entries:

Best Food and Drink

Open to all businesses involved in food and drink; restaurants, pubs, bistros, cafes, sandwich bars, delicatessens, breweries… Skipton has a plethora of businesses to satisfy many thousands of tastes each year, it would be lovely to include every one. Who do we go to for that best flavour, the quickest snack, the best value meal?

Best Retailer

For years Skipton has been recognised for its distinctive streets and the shops which line them, providing fantastic choice and jobs for many thousands, let’s celebrate them. Not restricted to bricks and mortar, entry is open to online businesses too. The more the merrier.

Best Leisure and Tourism

Skipton is a destination of choice for many in the UK and across the world. As such it has developed a leisure and tourism base of which the town is proud. This category is open to all businesses which provide facilities, service and entertainment for residents and visitors alike. From tourist attractions to event organisers it’s open to all.

Next week they will focus on another three categories. Further information about the application process including online entry can be found at www.skiptonbusinessawards.co.uk. Any business owners interested in becoming an Associate or Headline sponsor should contact Wendy Lawson on 01756 798257 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..